To change estate agent? House isn't selling

[unsellable]

My property has been on the market for 5 months. Had a total of 25 viewings. No offers just one person who was seriously interested but ended up never getting back in touch after second viewing even though they left that viewing saying they’d offer when they sold. They sold. Never offered.

I am in the midlands. I am not comfortable to say where. Or link my property. But property was initially on at price multiple agents suggested. Although viewings were coming in weekly I assumed no offers were due to price so reduced 2% by advice of agent to get back to top of rightmove.

Viewings still kept coming in at new price but still no offers. Agent then advised me to guide price so I dropped the price low to fit in to another price bracket for searches on Rightmove, stating that offers would be accepted anywhere between X (low price in new bracket) and X (which was my original asking price). At this point I'd accept the lower end of the guide price as I am getting desperate.

Same situation, viewings kept on happening at new listed guide price. No offers. Estate agent decided to do the showings for me to get feedback on the spot as a lot of people coming for a viewing don't respond to estate agent for feedback when they ring after the weekend. Estate agent said this is normal. Most don’t return their calls after viewings.

Had a viewing this weekend from a couple who called their parents to come join them and spent 45 mins viewing with the agent and they haven't responded to agent and apparently agent has called everyday since. Apparently couple loved it on weekend. So I can't understand why they're not returning the agents calls.

When I purchased the house it sold in a week after viewings and there was myself and somebody else both placing offers until one of us were accepted - which was me.

I am feeling so low about it. I got another estate agent in who keep trying to poach me. They told me that the reduction was not the right advice as it’s now listed a lot below what it is worth and suggested they would have listed at original asking price too. New estate agent said I could now go with them but can’t re list at my original asking price or anything higher than the lower end of the guide price it’s currently on at, so if I go with them I have to stick to the guide price the other agent advised me to do.

I’m getting frustrated that my agent is only getting feedback from roughly just over half of the viewings. They say they try every day following the viewings for 3 days.

All viewings that are coming in are enquiries from rightmove/zoopla. Potential new estate agent said that they would be proactive in contacting potential buyers and telling them about my property and don’t rely on zoopla and rightmove alone.

Is this an estate agent issue or do I just have a unsellable property. What can I do? What could be the problem with my house and why it is not selling? I’ve been advised by my current agent houses are not struggling to sell in our area and people have been rushing to buy before stamp duty increase. They constantly reassure me the house is lovely and sellable and they will sell it it’s just a case of right buyer, right time.

Just another thought actually- we are commutable to London. I wonder if the uncertainty around wfh less is making Londoners in particular more hesitant about moving quite far out??

I'm not insistent it isn't a dealbreaker for some that current owners have a dog, I'm just surprised that it puts people off to be honest. I can sort of understand in a rental situation why you wouldn't want dogs living there or renting a home a dog has just moved out of etc. but for me, I wouldnt walk away from buying a suitable property that ticked all the boxes on the basis of a dog living there currently. Things can be replaced like carpets etc if needed. Id always be decorating to my taste and giving a good clean as I am a clean freak anyway. And I just always assume people would be moving in and eventually putting their own stamp on and giving a good clean anyway.

A fair few who have viewed have had dogs themselves as when I was doing viewings we were discussing local areas to walk dogs. I get that there may be a handful of people who don't have a dog and wouldn't buy a house with a dog in it currently.

However, the fact people have come on here and pointed out a dog living in a property is a dealbreaker is helpful to me to know. I appreciate all the possibilities suggested as things like that I'd not considered.

There are houses that would compete with mine at the lower end of the guide price mine is listed at. So for example, there's doesn't have a second reception room or a utility room, or large kitchen diner or en suite but they have a slightly bigger drive and garden and still presented well but clearly a much smaller house. These were what mine would have been like before extension.

Then there are also houses that compete with mine that are listed at same asking price mine was originally at. Those tend to have the second reception room but no utility room or en suite. These are the ones that have been extended like mine has. But still don't offer the same amount of rooms.

I guess that's why estate agent who came to value today said it would be giving it away if I drop again. Because even those listed at what mine was originally listed at don't have the en suite or utility and some have small gardens too because they too were extended to have big kitchens and second reception rooms.

If I drop below the low end of my guide price I'll be in the price bracket of an average same bedroom house in the area before it was extended.

I guess the reality is that it's a waiting game. I don't think theres much more I can do. I suppose when the viewings are sometimes multiple unproceedable people one after another it's good for nothing and their opinion is invalid anyway.

I don't like to turn away unproceedable buyers because when they list and sell I don't want them to rule me out having never viewed. But it's not helping as my viewing numbers rise, my sanity decreases and then I convince myself I am unsalable.

I genuinely think my plan moving forward is to stop unproceedable buyers, or at least those who aren't even on the market yet! Stick at the guide price or maybe change to offers in excess of (because I can't increase the price back to what it was valued at) and wait it out. Then potential buyers will tell me what it's worth as that's obviously more important than what an estate agent says. A house will sell for what someone is prepared to pay.

The Midlands is awful at the moment. If the similar house down the road hasn’t sold either, that’s a good sign it’s the market rather than your house specifically. If similar properties to yours were all selling but yours wasn’t, I’d be more worried

Can anyone advise on this:

Obviously my house is guide priced with a figure of x-x which is 25k difference.

I can't increase my house price again. I can't list it anything above the lowest figure it's guided at now.

Would you be more put off by a property that says guide price with two figures suggested to offer between or just offers in excess of?

Estate agent is trying to keep me as they know I'm getting poached by other agents. They said offers in excess of is probably better. He told me he didn't know my house had been guide priced and wouldn't have advised it either. He's top dog and said he doesn't know that to be successful often. It was another negotiator who told me to do it and did it that same day. He basically said my options are keep it that way but he would have never advised to do it, change it to offers in excess or reduce an extra 5k to be the best house in the area at that price. It's all so confusing. I feel like if I'd never been ill advised in the first place I wouldn't be in this huge panic over it all. It's a combination of that and 25 viewings with no offers anyway.

I guess all this pricing change isn't helping my listing either. And the significant reduction I was advised to do by the other negotiator. It would make me wonder if I was a buyer why a house can be reduced 25k in the price bracket it's in.

I've noticed it's a mixture really. Some really are flying off. Those that aren't selling have been on a while. Like mine. Those that are selling are new listings from the new year. Odd few listed back end of last year. It's like those of us who went on in the autumn/winter are just forgotten and old news. I did get myself back up to top of right move in the new year with the reduction but it didn't say new listing it said reduced today.

The trouble with Rightmove is when you're looking you start using the listed in the last 14, 7 days etc. so @unsellable vanishes from view.

Our housing market is practice at a standstill barring first time buyers and new homes.

I'd take it off. Get a new agent. Don't put it back on until you've checked every photograph, floor plan and all details. I'd wait until spring has sprung, the gardens look so dead at the moment.

I think it’s the stamp duty costs, puts me off moving for sure.

Rather than fiddling with the price again id be tempted to come off and relist in late spring maybe. Get fresh pics with nicer lighting and bulbs. Honest friends to comment on doggy smells etc.

Obviously you may not have that luxury of time though

Apparently stamp duty may come down in March - maybe that’s why people aren’t buying just yet?

www.bbc.com/news/business-53319433

Yeah makes sense.

I guess when it's fresh and the new potential buyers haven't seen it will be exciting again. If it was ever exciting at all haha!

Jakers, that's so much money to pay. No wonder that together with mortgages people are staying put

I absolutely wouldn’t be put off by a dog! Half the houses wouldn’t sell either as many homes have dogs! There’s only 1 house on my whole road of 28 houses that doesn’t have a cat or dog! It would put me off if a house listing went stale, I’d think something was wrong with it! Could you take it off for a short time & re list?

don't forget MN is quite anti dogs and not reflective of real life imo!

@StarDolphins very true! I do think any bad/animal smell is a terrible first impression but most houses with pets smell fine to me.

@LavenderFields7 Stamp duty is going up from 1 April. Some of the thresholds are coming down, ie more of the price is subject to tax. This will depress prices, unless rates also come down.

I think it usually boils down to price. Where I am (south east) anything competitively priced goes within a week or two and then the rest seems to hang around for months on end. I'm in the process of moving, I had a buyer for my house within a couple of weeks but I'm struggling to find anything to move to. There's very little coming on to the market at the moment here and anything good ends up in a bidding war. I've been outbid on a few properties and others I've been unsuccessful as people are unwilling to accept offers or seem to have very little motivation to actually move.

I absolutely hate guide prices, I would definitely get rid of that and just list it with one price. The fact you've had so many viewings would imply the photos and listing are good. As you aren't getting offers I'd suggest it's either price or something is letting the house down when people get there. Is it declutteted and 'dressed' for viewings? I put all my clutter in a storage unit, I had a box of things just for viewings like nice new towels, pillows, soap, posh shampoo etc. Everytime there was a viewing booked in I put all the new stuff out and put the old stuff in the box and hid it in the boot of my car! Lots of vases of fresh flowers, tubs of plants by the front door, hanging baskets etc to brighten up the front.

If you change agent I would suggest taking it off the market completely for a month or two. Freshen anything up that needs it, declutter, dress the house for sale and then put it on the market in the spring when the weather's better, flowers are out in the garden etc.

@unsellable its a buyers market. I’m in the West Midlands and posted on Mumsnet back in October that my house wasn’t selling after 3 months on the market. I included a link and braced myself for the brutal and truthful comments from Mumsnetters.

I decluttered, put belongings in storage , had new photos, changed agent and reduced the price by 25k. I had more viewings in 2 weeks then in 3 months with the former agent and higher price . I’ve accepted an offer last month.

It will be the price , you need to price to factor in the small garden.

I'm not sure an estate agent can dictate what price you put your own house in the market for with a new agent. Think about why they might be trying to do that.

If you don't mind me asking what were you listed at originally?

And how long did it take to sell after new price and new agent?

Thanks

Sorry I don't understand what you mean. They aren't advising me what to do price wise with a new agent. They're advising me what to do to keep me with them.

Do you mean they are advising a further reduction to sell quickly and me to not go elsewhere? Is that what you mean. Sorry

I thought they were saying you couldn't go with someone new and put it higher than it is now. They want their commission of course and if it sells with someone else, they get no fee never mind as much as the new one.

No the new agent said I couldn't go with them and put the price back up. Because it's now been listed at a guide price and significantly reduced they can't put it back up, not even to the middle of the guide price. But obviously their pitch was we can get you that price if you list with us...

We had our house on last year. I didn’t like the photographs or the editing of them from the start. They were very underexposed and oversaturated, taken with an ultra wide angle. They made the house look quite different, it made it look like a new build, super bright and shiny, but it’s very old. It also distorted the room dimensions. We had a lot of viewings and very little feedback.

My gut was that people’s first impression was disappointment and they then never get past that. The write up was also totally over the top, describing it as immaculate (it’s not) and waxing lyrical about things that really aren’t amazing.

After 4 months we decided to switch agents and I asked if I could do the photos. I am a photographer (in the sense that it’s a significant part of my job), so not a random request, although I rarely shoot property. I also asked that they were factual in the write up.

It went live on RightMove and we were under offer within a week. That chain collapsed and we went back on and were under offer within 72 hours. That chain also collapsed and we went back on and were under offer within a week again. The price never changed.

I do think if when people turn up and they think oh it’s not as good as in the pictures, they do the whole viewing slightly disappointed. It can also get the wrong people through the door. Somebody looking for a white/grey glossy new build won’t be interested in our older house, even though it’s reasonably presented.

The guide price thing your are talking about would make no difference to me as a potential buyer - I would literally look at the lower end of the guide price unless it had literally just gone on the market. Same with offers in excess of. In fact I prefer a set price - then it’s up to the buyers to offer above or below that price. Whenever I’ve sold properties I’ve sold the most quickly with one price stated - some slightly under the asking price and some significantly over the asking price.

Interestingly, the last house I sold went for well over asking price to the first people to view it - even though when we bought a few years earlier we were told by the agent that we were the 70th people to view! The house essentially was the same - just re-decorated, new kitchen and garden landscaped. Maybe we were just lucky that the right people viewed it first time.

I’m sure your house will sell - maybe take it off for a month and re-list with new pics in March/April - at the slightly higher price. By that time there will be new buyers and anyone who had seen it listed before won’t remember the price it was previously listed at anyway.